Campaign Seminar
The updated version of the Seminar here is in progress. The ultimate goal is to have a brief outline so GMs can print and carry it with them for game day. # Safety ## Halt ## Medical ## Fires ## Friends # Combat ## Counting points ## Swinging weapons ## Waylay / Assassinate ## Unconsciousness Your character will regain consciousness after sixty seconds. After that you may get up and do as you please, but remember, you still have zero BP and little strength left. If you get hit again you will be unconscious for ninety seconds (add 30 seconds each time you are hit until you regain a BP by magik or rest). (Added because we always forget it's 1 minute and not 5 after getting set to 0 BP) ## Death # Magik ## Caster responsibilities ## Target responsibilities ## Flags ## Component vs. Marker ## Common Spells ### Blast / Force ### ... # Thieving ## In-game ## Out-of-game (Serious no-no, duh!) # Atmosphere ## Forsooth ## Scrolls ## LIGHT spells # Fair Play ## Counting points ## Fun for everyone (Working on combining these two for an update.) Just found the very old version. I like the new outline better, but the material hasn't changed much. This needs a edit job, if someone feels up for it. Welcome, everyone. What is Campaign? Campaign is a fantasy based live-action role-playing game. Each player takes on the persona of a fictional character that they have created and role-plays adventures and stories as that character. So what makes us different? We emphasize Role-playing and Character vs. total combat. We enjoy creating stories of character interaction instead of creating a ìI win, you loseî atmosphere. Campaign is a game of friends. Though we have a handbook with rules, the most important thing we do is play fairly. Because we play for fun and not competition we have not developed a need for extensive rules or out-of-game referees. Campaign has a ìstyleî of play that you will learn after playing a few times. This style is hard to define, but it revolves around having fun and creating an atmosphere of fun and fairness intertwined with live-action storytelling. In addition to the handbook , there is also the Campaign Lands Book which is for sale for $5. This will give you a more detailed picture of the fantasy world in which we play. Other publications are on the way. There is much about Campaign that can only be learned by playing and talking to others, so feel free to ask questions. Important Stuff The Campaign seminar covers important safety aspects of Campaign, but this seminar does not cover everything you will need to know in order to begin playing Campaign. For that you will need to read the handbook. Stuff You Really Need to Know! 1. Be safe. 2. Wear your whistle. This is your, ìIím in really big need of assistanceî whistle. Only blow it if you really need help since everyone will stop playing and come running to your side. 4. Read the handbook. Thereís a lot of little stuff in there that you need to know. 5. We allow minors on Campaign, but there are some stipulations in the book that need to be read first. 6. There are thieves on Campaign, but they will only take in-game items Anyone who steals for real will be removed from the game. In-game items are to be given back to the player or a GM so they can be returned after the game. Money and gems need not be returned. 7. No Drugs or Alcohol are allowed on Campaign as it can impair your combat and running-through-the-woods-while-being-chased-by-crazed-goblin skills. 8. You should report any medical conditions on your character sheets and also inform the GMís before each game. 9. Everyone who wants to attend a Campaign must attend a Campaign seminar. This means you should bring your friends here before bringing them to a game. 10. Each game will have a check-in where we will check your weapons, magik items, spell books, whistles, special abilities, and character sheets. It is important to submit character sheets with your items listed FIVE DAYS BEFORE the game. If you do not, you may not be able to use those things in the game. 11. The word ìHaltî is used to stop the game for injuries or rule clarification. We usually say ìgame onî or ìReady? Goî to restart the game. 12. We encourage everyone to bring new people into the game. If you have played Campaign a few times and feel that you know someone who would love it, introduce them to a GM and bring them to a Campaign Seminar so we can answer all their questions and get them ready to play. 13. While campaign is for fun, there are occasionally people who either donít play by the rules or donít play in the spirit of the game. If such a situation arises, the committee will ask that player to leave Campaign with or with out warnings. Magik Many Characters in Campaign have the ability to cast various forms of magik. There is an extensive spell list that you do not have to be familiar with in order to play. There is a small section in the handbook of magik you should know about. Other than that, it is up to the mages casting the spells to inform you of what to do. How it works: Mages must inform you of the spellís title, duration, and range. For example ìTremor, 10 feet, You are all knocked to the ground for 30 secondsî If a mage touches you with their hand or a short wand while casting, they do not need to tell you a ìrangeî. What to do if the mage doesnít tell you what to do.Play along, if you wish, otherwise nothing happens. You should say ìfizzleî, or something along those lines, to indicate that the spell did not function properly and you are moving along your merry way. Know your Spells: The most important thing to do when you play a mage is to learn your spells. If you mix up a duration or effect, or forget which spells can be affected by Dispel Magik, it makes things confusing for everyone. Disputes: Sometimes there are disagreements as to what just happened in an exchange between two players. You think a spell fizzled. The mage thinks it didnít. Youíre sure you hit that monster with enough blows to kill it, but it hasnít fallen. As with any dispute in Campaign you can do one of three things. 1: Pretend the event never happened and start over. 2: Figure it out between the two of you. 3: Find a GM to arbitrate the dispute. Stopping Play If for any reason, you need to stop play by calling a ìHaltî, try to do so in the least obtrusive manner possible Combat The rules are laid out in more detail in the handbook but here is an overview. 1. Safety First. No one has fun if somebody gets hurt. 2. No hits to the head, throat, neck, or groin are allowed. 3. Control your attacks at all times 4. 5. All weapons must be approved and marked before each game. 6. The GMís of a game are the final arbitrators of all disputes. 7. No hand to hand combat, it can lead too easily to injuries. This includes grabbing and holding onto weapons. 8. No real weapons. Hopefully this should be self-explanatory. Only utilitarian implements (axes for wood, knives for eating) may be brought on a game. 9. No combat if a player is on one or both knees. It is too easy to get hit in the head. You canít do this to avoid combat. 10. Keep track of your damage. It sounds easy, but you really have to think about it. 11. Safety First. Itís so important we mention it twice! Damage Each player starts the game with Body Points, generally four to five of them. Each time you get hit with a weapon, regardless of type you subtract one point. If you have armor, you subtract those points before you subtract body points. While all physical attacks cause one point of damage, magikal attacks, which are done by having a ball thrown at you, always take two points. Any other exceptions will be reported during the game by the attacker saying something like ìTwo pointsî when they hit you. Armor Different types of armor give you different amounts of protection. Armor must be approved to ensure you get the proper armor points for it. Armor protects you against damage causing attacks only. It does not protect you from non-damage causing spells or arrows (which pierce through armor). Recovery When you are injured, you will regain your body points over time. Your recovery will be two or three body points per hour. This means that after thirty minutes you regain one point (not all at once after an hour.) Waylay / assassinate A waylay is a one shot knockout to another character who is unaware of your presence. To do this you must be positioned behind the target for two seconds and place the hilt of your weapon on their shoulder blade or upper back. Then you say, ìwaylayî. This will knock the character out for five minutes, but will not reduce their body points. If you start attacking them (technically impossible since they are on the ground, but it is a role-playing thing) then they will wake up. Give them a moment to regain their feet before fighting. Waylay will not work during combat or if the target is wearing armored headgear. Assassinate works the same way except that when the assailant says ìAssassinateî, the victim is reduced to 0 body points and is unconscious for 30 seconds. At this time a killing blow may be applied. Killing Blows Once a character is knocked to 0 Body Points, they are unconscious for a short period of time. Killing in Campaign should be viewed the same way as in real-life. It ís not a nice thing. If you are attacked and you knock your opponent to zero BPís, you do not have to kill them! You should let the situation and your character make the decision to when a killing blow is appropriate. Role-playing The lynchpin of Campaign is role-playing. By role-playing you enhance the game for everyone and you reduce the appearance of rules during the game. Instead of walking around waiting for your health to return, limp. Faint. Act injured! The more you role-play, the more real it all seems. Weapons for use We use many types of foamed weapons, but the primary one is the sword. Instructions for making one are in the book. While you can make a different type weapon, it may not get approved. Fighting Attacks Your primary target area is from the shoulders to the knees. (We are allowing hits below the knees this year) Your attacks should be controlled in both power and speed. Though the swords are light, they can still hurt if not swung properly. Types of attacks to avoid are overhead shots to the shoulder area (youíll hit their head by mistake) and thrusting. Thrusts MAY be done, but use them sparingly and with great caution and control since they could cause harm. Thrusts should be done more theatrically than combatively. How to hit: Attacks should be quick, but light. Swing with the arm, but make the final contact with a snap of the wrist. You should hit with enough force to register, but the weapon should bounce off the target instead of impacting. Individual Hits Each blow must be an individual and distinct attack. Generally, your weapon, after striking the target, should be pulled back to ready for the next blow. This will also create a slight pause between blows. Clean Hits When an attack is made, the sword must make contact with the target and stop its forward movement. If the blade of your weapon glances off the target or continues past the target after striking, it does not count. Hits must register, but not be too hard. You cannot do a ìrabbit punchingî style of striking. Remember, your blows should be distinct from each other and not a rapid succession of hits. Glancing Blows It is a good practice to acknowledge blows that you consider to be either glancing or invalid. By saying something in character, such as, ìYou tore my best shirtî or ìA mere scratch! Youíll have to do betterî you let your opponent know that you did not count that blow. This will help alleviate some confusion when one player counts blows that the other does not. Practice How to swing How to block Practice one on one Group melee (watch for control)